


Rose-Colored Thieves

by knightofsuperior



Category: RWBY, 快盗戦隊ルパンレンジャー VS 警察戦隊パトレンジャー | Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger
Genre: Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-08-20 15:16:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16558184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightofsuperior/pseuds/knightofsuperior
Summary: A chance encounter with a mysterious benefactor sends Ruby Rose's life spiraling into a world of monsters, conspiracies, cops, and robbers. Whose justice will win the day-and which will Ruby choose to side with, in the end?





	1. Spin The Dial

Ruby Rose had a simple plan for a simple evening.

Step 1: Go to a store, any store.

Step 2: Buy the latest issue of Weapons Monthly, because it was the annual scythe issue and she’d been waiting for this literally a year

Steps 3-6: Kick up some tunes, grab some snacks, buy the magazine and snacks (wait, was that one step or two?), and head back to the hotel for game night!

Ruby grinned, a skip in her step as she strolled towards the closest convenience store. Visiting Vale was always a nice time. It wasn’t especially rare for her to take the trip over, but it was rare for Yang, her Dad, and Uncle Qrow to all be free for a family vacation! While she would have also settled for a nice week in Vacuo or even a trip to Mistral (the weapons museums in the area called to her!), this was still more than she ever could have asked for.

Tonight was gonna be-

“ _Mademoiselle_ , watch out!”

Ruby heard the warning a split-second too late, her face slamming straight into metal briefcase. The case went flying into the air, crashing on the ground. Ruby could hear something fall out of it, but the sudden ache in her everything was kind of distracting her. She stumbled back, nearly toppling over. She put a hand on her forehead, rubbing it gently. “Ow...what the heck!?”

“I’m incredibly sorry, _Mademoiselle!_ ” Ruby glanced up. An older man, with dark hair and the height of a giant (at least, to Ruby’s perspective, stupid short genes be cursed), stood over her. The first thing that caught Ruby’s attention about him, outside of the half-eaten ice cream cone in his left hand, was the sheer number of black dots on his white dress shirt. It was like looking into a dalmation fur! The man wore an open grey vest on top of the shirt, and his black slacks were speckled with multicolored ice cream stains. “I should have paid more attention to where I was going!”

“I-it’s fine!” Ruby waved her free hand around, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips. “Can’t really see me from up there, I bet-ack!” She covered her mouth. “I mean, from down here! I can’t-I can’t see you from down…” She cringed. “Sorry.”

The man knelt down, picking up what appeared to be...toys? That was the best way Ruby could describe the small pieces of machinery scattered across the sidewalk. Miniature vehicles, mostly cars or airplanes, with some smaller construction vehicles and some more abstract ones dotting the pavement. Miniature was an understatement, however, as most of them were as big as her hand and then some. “It’s more than fine-I am a bit on the tall side, _mon amie._ ” The man looked up at her, Ruby instinctively backing up in response. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Peachy!” Ruby lied, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head. “What the heck are those things made out of,” she muttered. “Rocks?”

The man shook his head, waving the toys around in his hand as he spoke. “ _Non, non, non,_ nothing of the sort! Simply a unique combination of plastic and metallics.”

Ruby let out a disgruntled noise. “You, uh...heard that?”

The man shrugged as he stood back up. “I have a knack for lip reading. I picked it up in my travels abroad-a useful skill, indeed! Ah, but how rude of me not to introduce myself.” He took a quick bow, exaggerated and clearly for the show of it. “Noel Takao, at your service.”

“Uh...hi? I’m Ruby.” Ruby began to step back. “I’m really sorry about-”

She felt her foot brush against something. Looking down, she spotted a strange, blocky-looking pistol at her feet. She looked back at Noel, then back to the pistol.

Noel’s face paled. “N-now, _Mademoiselle,_ you may be wondering why I have a gun on hand. I assure you, there is a simple explanation for that-”

“...is this a weapon?” Ruby asked, her eyes lighting up. “Wait-are those toys part of the weapon too!?”

Noel blinked. “...not quite the reaction I was expecting.”

Ruby quickly picked up the remaining machines from the sidewalk, her hands overflowing with them in a split-second. “I’m so sorry! I know how important it is to keep your weapon damage-free and I should have figured you’d have something on hand and you’re probably an important weapons designer and I just ruined your test models-oh, Dust, I am so, so, so, so sorry-”

“ _Une minute, juste une minute, attends!_ ” Noel exclaimed, holding out a hand.

Ruby stared at Noel. “...buh?”

“My apologies-I slip into my native tongue at times, as you may have been able to tell.” Noel let his shoulders sag, his relief evident. “There’s no need to apologize-in fact, I should be apologizing to you. I know that seeing any kind of weapon must be startling for a young girl like-”

“Oh, no, not at all!” Ruby’s face lit up with glee, her grin widening. “I’ve just never seen a weapon like that before! Sure, there’s lots of dust guns on the market these days, but most of them are tiny things or huge and bulky. Being able to pack any kind of firepower into something like this has to be tough!”

“... _quelle surprise_ ,” Noel marvelled. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a weapons connoisseur.”

“Welllllll,” Ruby chuckled nervously, “I dabble a bit myself. I’d show, but...I think my Crescent Rose is a bit more startling to the average person,” she pointed out, glancing at the people milling about nearby. “Anyway, I’m curious-are these things,” she asked, nodding towards the model vehicles in her hands, “some kind of ammunition?”

“Ammuni…” Noel closed his eyes. “I suppose they could be called that. They are required for the...well, there’s no harm in letting a fellow enthusiast know their names, I suppose. This,” he said, picking up the remaining gun from the ground, “is a VS Changer.”

“Vee Ess?” Ruby asked. “You mean Versus? And what’s it change into?”

“... _non_ ,” Noel replied. “VS. And, as for the second question…” He held a finger to his lips. “Trade secret, I’m afraid.”

“Oh.”

“In any case, the machines you hold in your hands are Dial Fighters and Trigger Machines. The more accurate term for them would be...pieces, I suppose.”

“Pieces? You mean, like, from some kinda set?”

“Closer to a Collection.” Noel grinned, picking up the briefcase with his free hand. As he held it out, Ruby got to work placing the Fighters and Machines back inside. “I’m actually not the designer-I merely...maintain them. They’ve been in my care for a long time, and in others long before that. We’ve worked hard to keep them on the down-low, you could say.”

Ruby’s eyes glittered.

Mysterious secret weapons from a mysterious secret stranger with mysterious secrets abound.

“That is so cool,” she breathed.

“You think so?” Noel put a hand to his chin. “I’ll admit, I expected you to be a little more...skeptical. After all, you called these toys before, did you not? Quite a turnaround in your belief, _mon amie_.”

Ruby’s self-consciousness came flooding back in an instant. She quickly stepped away from the briefcase, scratching her head. “I-I-well, you see-it’s just...what’s not to believe, I guess?”

Noel stared at her for a moment.

Then, he laughed. “You are a very trusting person, Ruby. It’s a blessing and a curse to have such a simple soul.”

“I...thanks?” Ruby frowned. “Is that a compliment?”

“If you wish it to be.” Noel kept the briefcase open, glancing into it. “...say, Ruby,” he began. “Why are you so interested in weapons?”

“...that’s a tough question,” Ruby admitted. “I guess it’s all the work and effort put into making them, into maintaining them, the different styles and archetypes they fit into.”

“Interesting. Is this merely a hobby for you, then? A curiosity?”

“Well...for now, it is.” Ruby grinned, patting Crescent Rose’s sheath. “But someday? I’m gonna be a Huntress.”

Noel raised an eyebrow. “A Huntress, you say?”

Ruby nodded, closing her eyes in thought. “Yeah. Once I become a professional Huntress, my weapon will be used to protect people. I want to make sure I know every in and out of it, to make sure I can keep those I love and those around me as safe as possible.”

“My, my.” Noel rapped his fingers on the case. “ _Magnifique_. I commend you on your motivation.”

Ruby drew back slightly, hiding her head in her hood. “Uh, thanks. Sorry-I don’t know why I blabbed on like that. I’m...not usually this chatty with people I’ve just met, to be honest.”

“I’ve been told I have a bit of an effect on people,” Noel chuckled. “Tell you what, Ruby. From one weapons enthusiast to another, a gift.” He reached into the case, taking out a VS Changer. “You’re welcome to one of these, and any three pieces of the Collection you like.”

Ruby’s eyes widened. “What? No-no, I can’t do that to you! You said these were old heirlooms, right?”

“Indeed, I have. However, they’re not the only ones out there.” Noel sighed. “Sadly, some have been scattered to the winds, while others taken by unscrupulous bandits. I’m currently on a bit of a hunt for them. I’d feel much more assured of the Collection’s safety if at least some of it was in good hands.”

Ruby couldn’t believe her luck.

Being short and easily distracted had its benefits, after all!

“W-well, if you insist…” Ruby took one the Changer, glancing into the case. “Any...recommendations, I guess?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any. It’s all up to personal preference. Though,” he added, “I’d say red is your color.” At this, Ruby’s eyes locked on two pieces in particular: a red plane and a similarly colored car. As she reached her hand into the case, Noel continued. “I offer this gift with one word of warning, however.”

“I promise I’ll take good care of them!” Ruby insisted.

“Non, non, non. You misunderstand. I trust you to keep the Collection intact and safe,” Noel clarified, “But...once you have chosen your path, you will have to see it through all the way through to the end.”

“My path?”

“The Collection is...unique in its circumstances, and those that surround the ones who use it. As I’ve said, many have come for the Collection before. They may come for you as well.”

Ruby froze.

Oh no.

Oh, no, no, no.

Was this a setup?

Was Noel trying to get her in trouble?

_Killed?_

Maybe she was overthinking it-she probably was! But...

“I...I’m not sure I want to go ahead with this anymore,” Ruby mumbled.

Noel nodded. “I understand. It’s why I offered you a choice-you are young. That’s the best time of life, in my opinion. I only offered the choice to begin with, however, as I see...something within you. Something I haven’t seen since…” He frowned, glancing off to the side. “...nevermind.” He pulled the case back, Ruby’s hand darting out of it as he slipped it shut. “I apologize if I scared you.”

“N-no, it’s...it’s fine.” Ruby looked down. “I’m...I’m going to go; I have to get back to my family before it gets too late, and I’m already-”

“By all means.” Noel stepped to the side, gesturing forward. “One last thing, however. I hear that From Dust Till Dawn has the newest issue of Weapons Monthly on the racks today.”

Ruby smiled-a soft, nearly impossible to see smile, but a smile all the same. “Thanks for the tip, Mr. Takao.” With that, she took off in a sprint, Noel catching a faint vision of rose petals in her wake.

He waited for a few moments, watching the people pass him by.

Then, he opened up the briefcase.

“It looks like our new friend was a little too hasty,” Noel said to thin air. “But, it’s not unexpected-she did seem rather startled. I suppose that’s on me.” He moved his hand to the bottom of the case, opening it up. He withdrew a black-and-white machine from the bottom. A drill at the front, emblazoned with a shark-like grin and expressive eyes, flickered to life.

“Oh, man!” A high-pitched voice exclaimed. “I was starting to think I’d never see some fresh air today! And after all that rattling and shaking...just what happened, Noel?”

Noel grinned. “Quite a bit. Take a look.” He gestured to the open briefcase. The machine flew out of his hand, poking its drill inside.

“Looks like you lost something again, Noel!”

“I’m afraid so,” Noel moaned, his dramatic tone undercut by his widening smile. “I daresay I’ve been robbed.”

“What do you want to do about it?”

Noel nodded in the direction he pointed Ruby towards. “I think our little thief-in-training will need all the help she can get.”

The machine flitted to the street corner. “You got it! What can she do with just one VS Changer, though?”

“Not much, I’ll admit. But,” Noel remarked, “I’ve made sure that arrangements are in order.”

“...did you know this was gonna happen?”

“ _Non_.” Noel shrugged. “I just had a bit of a hunch.”

* * *

 

“Dad’s gonna kill me,” Ruby moaned.

She knew she wasn’t exaggerating-she was a criminal! A terrible, awful, no-good...well, accidental criminal.

She’d panicked as her conversation with Noel came to a close, running off as fast as she could before she started screaming. All the anxieties and all the terror that came with...socializing had come rushing back in that brief moment.

And what did she have to show for it?

The VS Changer, still in her hand.

Three Collection pieces.

And no idea if she was seconds away from getting arrested.

Not even the copy of Weapons Monthly in her hands-which she 100%, absolutely was going to pay for in triplicate-could calm her nerves.

Stuffing some of the pieces into her pockets, she took a long look at one in particular: the red plane. The more she looked at it, the stranger it seemed; a dial in the shape of a top hat, a slider that let the Fighter fit perfectly onto the VS Changer (she had to resist letting out a gleeful cheer at the satisfying “click” it made), and an almost bright color aesthetic. Even her own Crescent Rose was a little more subtle in its coloration, a darker red and black. Why would someone make a weapon that could be seen from a mile away?

She nervously spun the dial around, trying to see if it would react in any discernible way.

If the loud (and quickly muffled under Ruby’s jacket) exclamation of “RED! 0, 1, 0! MASQUERASE!” didn’t count as a reaction, nothing would.

“Oh, wow…” Ruby tilted the top of the changer to the side, and back again, allowing herself a small bit of enjoyment in the strange sound effects it made. She was engrossed in the little details of this mysterious device, the world around her fading away.

This was, however, the worst possible moment for her curiosity to take over for her spatial awareness.

* * *

 

This was the easiest job Roman Torchwick had ever done.

Really, it felt kind of insulting.

He half-expected some kind of resistance, maybe an armed guard or two.

But all he had was an old man and his Dust.

“Take the Dust from the pipes, and make sure we get the best crystals first,” he ordered, his men (Junior’s men, really, but who was taking stock) shuffling around the room. He put his elbow on the counter, his hand on his chin. “Here I thought I was in for an interesting night.”

“Uh, Mr. Torchwick?” one of his goons piped up.

“What is it?” Roman’s gaze shifted to the man, who appeared to be staring out the window. “Cops?”

“Some...kinda bird, actually.”

“What?”

At that, a small pigeon flew in through the open door, landing on the countertop. Roman rolled his eyes. “Would you look at that, boys? A stool pigeon. We sure are done for now, aren’t we?”

At this, his mooks let out a hearty laugh.

That was when the bird exploded.

* * *

A loud crash broke Ruby out of her thoughts, along with the sound of screams. She turned around, her hand reaching for Crescent Rose.

Suddenly, it fell limp to her side, as did her other.

The front of the shop was in ruins; shattered glass from the windows littered the ground while splinters of wood and scattered dust crystals settled on opposite sides of the room. The old man at the countertop was hiding as best he could under his chair, and for good reason. Standing at the door, in front of the strange men dressed in black-and the one loner in white, though his suit was covered in soot and burn marks-was a monstrous creature. The monster’s form was almost too big for the now-cracking door frame. Its face sported a malformed beak, its yellow coloring standing out against its more muted grey body. Said body was just as disturbing, a humanoid structure with two glaring absurdities: a pair of dynamite sticks jutting out from its shoulders, and massive skeletal wings.

It was, to put it frankly, inhuman.

“A Grimm? This far into Vale?!” One of the men in black cried out. “Shit! I didn’t sign up for this, Torchwick!”

“All of you have guns, you idiots!” The man in white-Torchwick, she realized-snarled. “Shoot it!”

The men in black turned to their leader, and then to each other.

Then, they proceeded to bolt straight out the window, screaming like madmen.

“...why do I even bother hiring from Junior anymore?” Torchwick tapped his cane on the ground, a scope popping out of it. “If you want something done right-”

The Grimm let out a cackle. “Hold it right there, carrot top! I wouldn’t do that if I were you!”

The man’s face fell in an instant. “...what?”

“You heard me!” The creature snapped. “One false move, and I’ll blow you to kingdom come!” As the creature began to glance around the room, Ruby darted behind a shelving unit, poking her head out just enough to see. “This place is swarming with my little Carrier Pigeons, each with its own explosive ordinance! If I so much as blink at one of them, it’s bye bye birdy!”

“I don’t know what’s worse,” Torchwick muttered, “The fact that a Grimm can talk, the fact that a Grimm can control birds to blow themselves up, or that a Grimm is making puns.”

“Eh?” The creature walked forward, Torchwick quickly backing up towards the counter. “What the hell are you talking about? I ain’t no stinkin’ Grimm-I’m a Gangler!”

Torchwick grinned, his hand tilting his cane slightly towards the monster. “What’s the difference? They’re both ugly bastards and start with G, after all.”

“Oh, you’re just cruisin’ for some pain, aint’ya?” The creature pointed a finger (Talon? Feather? It was a bit of all of them, Ruby noted) at Torchwick. “Tell you what. I’ll give you a chance to say some nice final words. The only thing I ask is that when you get to Hell, you tell them the next boss of the Gangler, Bomb-Bird Beakley, sent you there!”

This wasn’t good.

This wasn’t even in the realm of good.

 _What should I do?_ she thought, the VS Changer shaking in her shivering hand. _What_ **_can_ ** _I do?!_

In her panic, she didn’t catch that her finger had slipped to what appeared to be the trigger on the Changer.

She also didn’t catch that the Changer had been tilted in a very specific direction during her previous experiments.

She did, however, catch the sound of a suddenly fired gunshot, and one single word flowing through the air in a sing-song tone:

**_“Lupinranger!~”_ **

It was also hard to miss the **_giant card that had appeared from thin air._ **

The card twirled for a moment, pushing away from Ruby and into the line of sight of both Beakley and Torchwick.

Torchwick raised an eyebrow.

Beakley gasped in terror. “No!”

The card snapped back, slamming straight into Ruby. Her jacket vanished, replaced with a black-and-red skintight suit. Her cape became smaller, falling off of her shoulders but only reaching halfway down her back. She felt something fall on top of her head, wrapping around it. Then, her vision went dark for a moment, a weight settling on top of her. Her vision became clear once more-a bit too clear, as if she were staring through the best contact lenses in existence. She glanced down at herself, spotting the VS Changer still in her hand-her now gloved hand, that was.

“You…” She turned her attention to the two in front of her. Beakley’s face betrayed no emotion, but his voice shook with a palpable tension. “How the hell can any of you still be alive?! The Don took care of you personally!”

“Any of...what?” Ruby asked, her voice echoing slightly.

Beakley tossed Torchwick to the side, ignoring the man’s indignant cries of pain as he slammed into the ground. “You Lupinrangers are like cockroaches-you just don’t know when to die!”

“Lupin _whatnow!?_ ”

“Don’t play dumb with me!” The monster raised a hand, and a collection of shadows formed on the ground. Figures arose from them, their forms appearing almost cut from clay. They wore blue berets on their heads, their “skin” a plaid blue and white. “Podermen, finish what the Boss started!”

As the creature’s minions began to surround her, Ruby let out a disgruntled sigh. “You see, Ruby,” she muttered, “This is what you get for talking to people.”


	2. It's Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ruby gets accustomed to her new powers, Yang receives a mysterious package, and Roman learns the folly of tempting fate.

**** Yang Xiao-Long was nothing if not competitive. She strove to better herself in all she did-and to do that, she needed to be the best at what she did, period. This applied to everything from how she performed in school (though that was a lot of effort she’d rather expend elsewhere), her weapons training, and even into her home life.

One such example: Game Night.

Game night wasn’t just any night at the Rose/Xiao-Long household.

It was war.

Remnant: The Game? Reigning champion.

Combat Ready? Flipped between her and Ruby, but the tally was 24-23, in her favor.

Valeopoly?

...no one really won that one, but she usually had the most money. Before someone inevitably flipped the board into the fireplace.

Again.

But, there was no fireplace here. Vale’s hotels may not have always had the most entertaining TV options or the most up-to-date styles (the beige was starting to seep into Yang’s mind at this point), but right now, they had something more important:

Family, all together.

So she could kick their-

A knock came at the door. Yang, closest by virtue of her having chosen the nearby kitchenette to grab a snack, glanced into the peephole. No one was there, but she could hear footsteps down the hall. “Ruby,” she warned, opening the door with an exaggerated sigh, “If you think you can ding-dong ditch me at a hotel, you’ve got another thing-”

She blinked.

No one was at the door, at all.

Instead, a metallic briefcase hung on the door handle, like the world’s biggest “do not disturb” sign. A small card, adorned with a top hat symbol and a checkered background, was stuck to the front. Yang raised an eyebrow. “Hey, Dad?” she called into the room.

“Yeah?”

“Were you expecting some kind of school delivery or something?”

“What?” Taiyang Xiao-Long stuck his head out from the bathroom, a shower cap on his head. “No, this is my paid time off. I asked them not to send me anything while I was out.”

“How would they even find you here, Tai?” a voice asked from the other side of the room. “They got you _that_ whipped?”

“Don’t you start, Qrow!”

Yang frowned, picking up the card. Despite every bone in her body telling her to call the hotel staff, or to tell her family that “hey, someone maybe left us with a bomb, or a Grimm’s head, or something,” the card piqued her curiosity just too much.

She flipped it over and read.

Then, she read it again, just to make sure she read it right.

“...Dad, Uncle Qrow, I’m heading out for a bit!”

“Alright,” Tai said, ducking back into the bathroom, “But be sure to be back before 7, or we’ll start Valeopoly without you!”

“If you see the squirt on your way, drag her back too, wouldja?” Qrow added.

“Sure, got it!” Grabbing the briefcase, Yang booked it for the stairs-the elevator would take too long, ironically enough. She glanced back at the card, her blood beginning to boil as her eyes took on a reddish tint.

_ “A warning to Ms. Yang Xiao-Long: A dreadful monster is coming to crush a lovely Rose. Do you have the courage to steal away victory from the jaws of defeat?” _

 

* * *

 

Ruby always wanted to be a Huntress.

As such, she trained day in and day out with Crescent Rose, practicing precision strikes with the blade and targeted blasts with its rifle portion.

She did not, however, have much skill with a pistol. They always seemed a bit on the startling side to her, what with the recoil and the quick way something could go wrong with them compared to a rifle. Scythes, despite their size, were a lot easier to manage, and to duck out of an attack with should she need to cancel one out. Plus, when combined with a rifle, it made for an incredibly high impact weapon that could strike fear into the hearts of Grimm everywhere.

With that in mind…

“This is so cool!” Ruby aimed her VS Changer behind her, blasting what felt like the twelfth masked minion in a row. It flew back, straight into the CD rack, before bursting into a small explosion like its brethren before it. Ruby grinned beneath her mask. “Take that!” 

“Damn you!” Ruby glanced at...Beakley, was it? The monster had been standing around, clearly expecting his servants to take Ruby down. “You just don’t know when to quit, you masked freak!” He grabbed one of the dynamite sticks on his shoulder, yanking it out (with another quickly sliding into its place). “I don’t know how you escaped the Boss, but if I take you down, that’ll make me stronger than the Boss himself! Then, everyone’s just gonna have to kneel before the new Head of the Gangler!”

“...those sound like words,” Ruby carefully replied, placing the VS Changer into a holster. Her hand reached for Crescent Rose, still strapped to her back (she thanked her lucky stars that this new outfit came with such a cool cape to hide it behind). “The thing is, I don’t think they’re real words. Have you tried speaking Remnese?”

Sure, mocking the giant, sentient Grimm (or whatever it called itself) probably wasn’t the best of ideas.

_ But, _ Ruby thought, _ I may never get the chance to again. _

Beakley snarled, chucking one of the dynamite sticks in Ruby’s direction. Ruby quickly grabbed Crescent Rose, shifting it into rifle form and firing at the dynamite. As her shot hit, Ruby leapt back to dodge the ensuing explosion. “Nice try-”

She heard a soft “coo.”

Ruby turned her head, spotting a bird sitting on what remained of the charred CD rack. 

It began to glow.

“Oh, this isn’t good,” Ruby muttered.

 

* * *

 

Roman Torchwick thought he’d seen everything in his line of work.

Betrayal, danger, tragedy, death, the works.

But a bird monster fighting a lunatic in a cape and mask?

“That’s a new one,” he muttered, shuffling his way down the street, the store beginning to fade into the night sky. His everything still stung from when the monster tossed him around like a ragdoll, but that was fine. So long as those two maniacs kept each other busy, all Roman had to do was get out of sight before the cops arrived. Compared to everything else that had gone down that night, truly, the lack of any activity on the streets was a silver lining.

At least, that’s what Roman thought, before he saw a silver lining stare him in the face.

“Move!”

Cold metal hit his nose first, and then his forehead. Roman tumbled backwards, a shock of yellow all he could see before he hit the ground once more. Footsteps faded away as they headed in the opposite direction.

“...this night couldn’t possibly get any worse,” Roman groaned.

The footsteps came back.

Actually, it sounded kind of like there were a few of them.

There was a loud whine, too.

In a flash, he was staring down the barrel of six different guns. “Is this the man, sir?”

Roman heard a sickly cough. “Yes! He’s the one who robbed me!”

“...oh, you’ve got to be-”

 

* * *

 

“-kidding me!” Ruby shouted, ducking under another exploding pigeon. “I thought you were joking about the birds earlier!”

“Why the hell would I joke about that!?” Beakley laughed, tossing more dynamite Ruby’s way as the birds began to follow her movements. “These feathered friends of mine are made of simple clay, but  _ I _ brought them to life! They can track their enemies down like a trained assassin-” Ruby changed Crescent Rose into its scythe form, slamming it into a nearby shelf. The shelf quickly fell on top of the birds nearest to her. As they began to explode, the shelf rebounded from the force of the eruptions, nearly toppling into Beakley. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” The monster sliced at it with a talon, cutting it clean in half. “You almost hit me with that, you bastard!”

“That’s kind of the idea!” 

“At least let me finish! Although, it’s not like it matters whether or not you know the extent of my power.” Even with his face static and stoic, Ruby could tell by his tone that Beakley was sneering at her. “You’ll be dead before you can-”

Beakley planned to say something extremely witty, something he could tell his friends back at the mansion once this was all said and done.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden bout of fist-to-the-face.

**_“Get the hell away from her!”_** Yang snarled, her eyes gleaming red. 

“Yang?!” Ruby exclaimed, stumbling to the side as Beakley flew past her. The monster slammed into the wall behind her, a crater left in his wake. “I-I mean, uh,” she started, her voice taking on a deep, gravelly tone. “You, citizen! You shouldn’t be here, it’s danger-”

“Ruby, I can tell it’s you. Crescent Rose is pretty freaking obvious,” Yang growled.

Ruby’s shoulders sagged. “O-oh.”

Yang rushed over to her, her eyes returning to their usual lilac color. “What’s going on?! Are you okay?!” She grabbed her sister’s arm, tugging at the material on her suit. “And what the heck’s with this getup?” Yang looked up, into Ruby’s mask. “You’d better have a good answer, or Dad and Uncle Qrow are gonna throw a fit-”

“I’m fine, Yang! I...well, fine may not be the best word for it,” Ruby said. “It’s kind of a long story.” She paused, glancing down at Yang’s right hand. “...Yang,” she began, “What’s that case?”

“I thought you’d know something about it!” Yang dug into her jacket’s pockets, sifting around. “I found this at our door, with a note saying something about a ‘crushed rose’-” She grumbled, quickly pulling Ruby into a surprise hug. “I was so worried about you!”

“Yang…” Ruby returned the hug, patting Yang on the back. “I’m okay. But thank you for-”

Ruby heard a coo.

“-down, now!” Ruby tackled Yang to the ground as an explosion rang above them. The heat barely singed her suit, but she could still feel the temperature rising. Yang’s briefcase soared out of her hand, clattering to the ground a short distance away. Its contents spilled out, immediately recognizable to Ruby: a VS Changer, and a yellow Dial Fighter.

“Hate to spoil your little moment, Lupinranger…” Beakley pulled himself out from the wall, his shoulders heaving with every “breath” he took. “...but we’ve got unfinished business!” 

Yang’s eyes widened as she looked past Ruby’s shoulder. “That thing's still alive?!”

Ruby grabbed Yang’s arm, pulling her up and away as Beakley tossed a stick of dynamite in their direction. As it went off, Ruby caught something odd about the Grimm, something that she didn’t catch earlier (for fairly good cause, she reasoned). A strange appendage was sticking out of the creature’s chest, similar in design to a money safe.  _ What could it need that for? _

Ruby could almost hear a “ding” as a lightbulb went off in her head.

She turned to Yang, gesturing to the Changer and the Fighter. “Yang, this is going to sound totally ridiculous and you can lecture me later, but I need you to grab those things and put them together!”

“...what?”

Ruby groaned, quickly flipping backwards (and simultaneously trying to hold back her glee at actually being able to do something like that, thanks to her suit). She landed next to the briefcase, grabbing the changer and sliding the Fighter onto it. Ignoring its cry of “Yellow!”, she spun the dials, hearing that glorious sound: “0, 1, 0! MASQUERASE!” 

“Yang, catch!” Ruby tossed the changer to Yang, who managed to catch it by the handle. 

“What even is this, Rubes?!” 

“Questions later! Transform now!” 

“What are you even talking about?!” Yang waved the Changer at her, her teeth gritted and her eyes beginning to go red once more. “I don’t know what you’re going on ab-”

The changer tilted to the side, and with a slight shift of Yang’s finger, a loud bang rang through the store, followed by an even more wonderful sound than before: **_"Lupinranger!~"_**. A card flew out of the changer, smacking Beakley as he tried to get closer. The card ricocheted back, covering Yang in a ball of light. When the light dispersed, Ruby’s eyes widened, and her grin grew just as wide.

“What…” Yang held up her newly gloved hands, running them over her newfound helmet. “Oh, what the heck!? My hair’s all scrunched up-and what’s with this...is this latex?!” Yang groaned as she tugged at her new suit, trying to stretch her arms. “It’s so freaking tight…”

“Wow!” Ruby asked, zipping over to her sister. “Oh, man! That looks so cool on you, Yang!”

“Ruby, you have a lot of explaining to do when we get back,” Yang grumbled.

“I promise, I will!” Ruby stowed Crescent Rose, drawing out her Changer once more. “Before that, though,” she noted, aiming at the dazed Beakley, “We have to take care of birdbrain here.”

“Hey!” Yang complained. “I’m the only one allowed to make puns in this family, young lady!” Quickly aiming her own Changer, she let out a satisfied smirk under her mask. “I’ll let you have that one, though, free of charge.”

Ruby sighed, taking aim. “Your generosity knows no bounds, Yang.”


	3. Moody Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Roman Torchwick and an old "friend" catch up, Ruby and Yang try to put a stop to Beakley's barrage-and a new ally(?) joins the fray.

Roman tapped his foot, shuffling slightly as he tried to get as comfortable as he could be under the circumstances. It was tough to find the most leisurely spot to sit when you were handcuffed to a chair, legs bound tight (“What is this,” he muttered, “A porno movie?”). He heard footsteps approach him, along with a rhythmic tapping after every other step. The police’s lights were shining straight into his eyes, the heat causing him to break out into a sweat. “You know,” he drawled as the footsteps grew closer, “I could sue you. This could be considered a violation of my right to not have to see spots in front of my eyes for the rest of my life.”

“Chatty. Affable. Charming, even in the face of certain doom.” Roman’s lips snapped shut, his grin fading. In its place came a scowl and anger unlike any he’d felt in a long, long time. A tall man, dressed in black and green, slowed to a stop before him. Adjusting too-small spectacles, the man took a seat in front of Roman. He adjusted the lights, drawing them away from the criminal’s features, and onto the center of the table between the two. “It’s such a shame, Roman. You were so talented.”

“If it isn’t the teacher of the year himself,” Roman snarled. “What brings you to this neck of the woods? They finally cuff you for all the coffee smuggling you’ve got goin’ on?”

“I was actually expecting a different guest,” Ozpin admitted, offering a shrug. “However, I never turn down a chance to see one of my favorite students.”

“I’m flattered.” Roman let out a hoarse laugh. “Sure shows your faith in people when you expect them to show up at a police station.”

“Roman.”

“Torchwick to you.” Roman’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want with me?”

“Always to the point.” Ozpin raised a hand. A tall, brown-haired man entered the room, clad in a white-and-gold officer’s uniform. In his hand was a large, silver briefcase.

“Pulling out all the stops, huh?” Roman’s grin returned. “What’ve you got in there? Thousands of lien? You know I only work in millions.”

“Ro-” Ozpin paused. “Torchwick. We know that you’ve been working for someone. We don’t know who, and we don’t know why. All we know is that they’re dangerous-far more so than you could ever understand.”

“You don’t get anywhere in life by staying out of danger,” Roman replied. “You have to...what was it you said at orientation? ‘Take chances, for chances are the essence of life.’” Ozpin’s face flickered for a moment, and Roman could swear he’d almost seen a frown cross the older man’s lips. As soon as the moment was there, though, it passed.

“I’m glad to see my words still mean something to you, I suppose.” Ozpin gestured to the officer, who placed the briefcase on the table. Placing a hand on the latch, Ozpin continued. “I know how criminal codes work, and I know how...precipitous your situation is. With that in mind…”

He opened the case.

“I’d like to offer you a position with a little more job security.”

Roman stared into the case. He glanced up.

“I’m listening.”

* * *

 

“Why the hell won’t you stay dead?!” Beakley swung a fist at Yang, who blocked it with her own. The force of impact sent the monster tumbling back, eliciting a gleeful cheer from Yang. “You little punk!” The bird leapt to his feet, charging at Yang. “Let’s see how you like-” A loud gunshot rang out from his left, and the impact of Crescent Rose’s blast hit a split-second later. Beakley skidded across the floor, slamming into the rapidly crumbling front wall. 

Yang punched her left palm, reveling in the crinkling sound her suit made in response. “I don’t get any of this, but…” She clenched her fist tight. “I’ll admit, this is pretty awesome!”

“Right?!” Ruby leapt above her sister, her VS Changer locked onto Beakley as the monster writhed in pain. “We’re superheroes, Yang!”

“What kind of superheroes,” Beakley shouted, “Just attack someone so...so violently?!”

Yang gestured to the scene around them. “You literally blew this store to smithereens,” she taunted. “I think this counts as self defense.”

Beakley grabbed a stick of dynamite from his shoulder. “This was supposed to be an easy job! In, out-” He chucked the dynamite at Ruby, screaming, “Bam!”

“Gah!” Ruby quickly pulled the trigger on her Changer on instinct, the blast hitting the stick in mid air. As the explosion erupted, both Ruby and Yang had to quickly shield their eyes from the blinding light.

“Watch it, Rubes!” Yang shouted, squinting behind her mask.

“Sorry!”

“So long, suckers!” Beakley shouted, the sound of further explosions filling the air. As the dust and light cleared, Yang gasped. Beakley had taken to the streets, chucking dynamite every which way as his army of birds followed along. While there were no immediate civilians the monster could put in harm's way, the bright lights of police sirens in the distance made it clear that wouldn’t be the case for long.

“Yang, hurry!” Ruby dashed out of the store, quickly pursuing Beakley. 

“Whoa, wait!” Yang ran after her sister, attempting to at least keep pace if not keep up with her sister’s superspeed. “Of course,” she grumbled, “Of course would happen when I don’t have Bumblebee.”

Beakley’s laughter echoed through the air, his high-pitched squeals punctuating every explosion in his wake. “There’s no way the Boss won’t see this! Everyone high and low will know that the Gangler are in town now!” His laughter grew sinister, his eyes shining bright. “And then, once they know our name, they’ll know my name! They’ll all know that Bomb-Bird Beakley is running this city!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Beakley let out a cry of surprise as he felt something slice down his back. He leapt to the side, dodging a second strike from Crescent Rose. “Ooh,” Ruby exclaimed, “I always wanted to say that!”

“What the-” Beakley’s birds began to converge around him. “How the hell did you get here so fast?”

“It’s a gift.” 

“A gift? Always fun, those.” Beakley grabbed for a stick of dynamite. “Want another?”

As Beakley wound up his swing, he felt something tap him on the shoulder.

He turned around just in time to see Yang give him a hell of a right hook, causing him to drop the dynamite, unlit, and tumble to the cold street below.

Even with the mask, Ruby could feel Yang’s rage boil over. “Sorry about that. I’m not the biggest fan of weird creeps giving my sister gifts, y’see.”

Ruby blanched, glancing at her VS Changer. “...does it count as a gift if I stole it?” 

“What was that, Ruby?”

“I said,” Ruby quickly replied, pointing at Beakley. “Put the Dial Fighter on the safe thingy on his chest!”

“...the what-”

“The yellow helicopter, Yang!”

“Oh, right!” Yang slipped the Dial Fighter off of her VS Changer, quickly pinning Beakley to his back on the ground with her forearm.

The monster struggled against her grapple. “Let go of me, you maniac!”

“You’re one to talk!” She slammed the Dial Fighter onto Beakley’s safe. The machine 4lit up, green letters appearing above it. “5, 1, 8!” With a loud click, the Dial Fighter detached, and Beakley’s safe opened up. Inside, a small ceramic bird stared back at Yang. 

“What is this thing?”

“Don’t you dare touch that!” Beakley roared, struggling harder. Quickly letting go of Beakley, Yang slid her hand into the safe as fast as she could. She snatched out the bird, leaping back as Beakley took a swipe at her. As soon as she was out of his range, all of the birds that had been hovering overhead froze. Cracks appeared across their bodies, before they suddenly shattered into dust. 

“No! My Piece!” Beakley lunged at Yang, who quickly blocked with a kick to the chest. 

Ruby’s eyes widened. “A Piece...so it is part of the Lupin Collection!”

“The what?” Yang asked, backing up from the weary monster as he attempted to close his safe.

“I’ll explain later, but don’t let him even come close to that bird again!” Ruby shouted, aiming her Changer. “Don’t worry, Yang! I’ve got a plan!”

As soon as those words left her mouth, a blast flew in from above, smacking Beakley straight in the chest. Sparks began to fly around his body as he let out a gasp of pain and agony. 

Yang rushed to Ruby’s side as Beakley struggled. “...good plan, Rubes,” she replied with no small hint of surprise in her tone.

Ruby shook her head. “No! That wasn’t me!”

Another pair of blasts quickly followed, firing straight into the open safe and sending Beakley flying. Ruby felt something-someone?-land behind her.

“Focus on suppressive fire,” a calm voice ordered. Ruby watched a woman clad in a blue and black jumpsuit and a very familiar mask approach her open flank.  “He’s almost done for. We just have to drive him into a corner to keep him from damaging any more of the city.”

“And then there were three,” Yang muttered. “Friend of yours, Ruby?”

“I, um. No? Maybe now?” The woman tilted her head towards Ruby, a tilt Ruby recognized as the “is this really the time?” tilt. “Maybe later.” Ruby aimed her Changer. “How many hits do you think it’ll take?”

“As many as we need,” the woman replied. With that, she began rapid firing from her own Changer, Beakley’s body beginning to erupt in more and more sparks. Ruby and Yang followed suit, the three approaching the creature as he tried desperately to grab for more dynamite. A loud snarl erupted from the monster.

“You think that one little peashooter is all it takes to beat me?!”

“Not one,” Ruby declared, holding onto the trigger. The barrel began to glow, as a loud whirring sound rang through the night air. Yang and the other woman quickly followed suit, as Beakley suddenly began to realize something:

He was out of sticks.

More than that, he was out of luck.

“Fire!” Ruby ordered.

Three massive, golden blasts burst from the Changers, slamming into Beakley simultaneously. With a massive scream of pain, the monster raised its fist to the sky. “Damn you, Lupinrangers! The Boss is going to take each and every one of you straight to Hell-”

Beakley’s life ended as it began: with a bang.

Beakley’s very form burst into a fiery explosion, sending Ruby and the others flying across the street. Ruby quickly broke her fall with her arm, covering her head as she rolled straight into a nearby wall. Yang skidded across the street, her latex shoes nearly catching fire as she slowed to a stop next to Ruby. The woman in blue, on the other hand, merely flipped into the air, landing gracefully on her feet as the dust settled.

The street fell silent, outside of the whining sirens approaching their location.

_ Oh, right, _ Ruby thought.  _ That was a thing. _

“Alright,” she began, turning to the others. “We’re gonna have to explain everything to the police once they get here, so let’s just stay put, alright?”

The woman in blue turned to Ruby, raising a small square disc. “I’m afraid that’s not happening.” Before Ruby could argue, a tether burst from the disc, wrapping itself around both Ruby and Yang. 

“Hey!”

“Ow!”

Once she seemed certain the two had been sufficiently wrangled (despite their best efforts to wriggle out of the tether), the woman took out another disc. She aimed it towards a nearby rooftop.

_ Oh no. _

“Wait, stop!” Ruby cried out. “Let go of us! We’re going to miss game ni-”

With a click, a thwip, and a pair of surprised screams, the three took off into the sky.


End file.
